1. Field of the Invention
In many automotive vehicles the front end rear end extremities of the body are defined by molded plastic components which are painted the same color as the remainder of the body made of stamped metal parts. Such components are referred to as fascias and the subject invention relates to such fascias.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The plastic fascias are attached to the structure of the vehicle from which some support is attained. However, additional support is frequently required to prevent sagging of the fascia. Metal plate-like members have been attached to fascias to provide support and have been attached to the fascia at spaced points by staples, rivets, or the like. One of the problems associated with this sort of assembly is that there is no accommodation for the differences in thermal expansion between the plastic and the metal and therefore fascia distortion can occur because of differential thermal expansion between the fascia and the support member having fixed attaching points. Support members have also been molded within the fascias, however, such assemblies also experience the problem associated with the difference in thermal expansion and permanent deformation in response to small displacements. Also, such assemblies are relatively expensive compared to the assembly of the subject invention.